Alternet: Military Quietly Grants Itself the Power to Police the Streets

[grasswire]

How did I miss this story?


Military Quietly Grants Itself the Power to Police the Streets Without Local or State Consent
Wednesday, 22 May 2013 09:19
By Jed Morey, AlterNet | Report


The lines between the military and law enforcement have blurred even further.

The manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects offered the nation a window into the stunning military-style capabilities of our local law enforcement agencies. For the past 30 years, police departments throughout the United States have benefitted from the government’s largesse in the form of military weaponry and training, incentives offered in the ongoing “war on drugs.” For the average citizen watching events such as the intense pursuit of the Tsarnaev brothers on television, it would be difficult to discern between fully outfitted police SWAT teams and the military.

The lines blurred even further Monday as a new dynamic was introduced to the militarization of domestic law enforcement. By making a few subtle changes to a regulation in the U.S. Code titled “Defense Support of Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies” the military has quietly granted itself the ability to police the streets without obtaining prior local or state consent, upending a precedent that has been in place for more than two centuries.

The most objectionable aspect of the regulatory change is the inclusion of vague language that permits military intervention in the event of “civil disturbances.” According to the rule: “Federal military commanders have the authority, in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the President is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation, to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbances.”

Bruce Afran, a civil liberties attorney and constitutional law professor at Rutgers University, calls the rule, “a wanton power grab by the military.” He says, “It’s quite shocking actually because it violates the long-standing presumption that the military is under civilian control.”


more........ http://truth-out.org/news/item/16521-military-quietly-grants-itself-the-power-to-police-the-streets-without-local-or-state-consent

[grasswire]

1. my apologies -- I see this was discussed a few days ago.

But maybe someone else missed it too.

[HiPointDem]

4. i missed it. thanks for posting.

[newfie11]

7. I missed it also

Very glad you posted.

[appal_jack]

13. Entirely worth continued discussion. k&r, n/t

[Quantess]

2. We've seen this coming for a long time, now.

Also, remember the photos of military police patrolling outside of Disney Land? No explanation for why they were there.

[woo me with science]

3. K&R

We are living in very disturbing times.

[agentS]

5. Seems unusual and unneeded, we're not exactly a battlefield at the moment in time.

If they are going to take on LEO duties, then I hope they do a better job that the bozos we currently got running around.
Heh, maybe they'll shoot less 80yr old grandmas.

[jakeXT]

6. 'the homeland is the battlefield,'

http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/19/4244048/lindsey-graham-homeland-battlefield-domestic-drones

[Johnny Noshoes]

8. Yeah its from a TV show - doesn't make it any less true.

"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."

-- Commander Adama

[woo me with science]

9. Excellent quote.

TV show or not, it's spot on.

[ReRe]

10. "I think we're turning...

K&R

... Faschineese, I think we're turning Fascineese, I really think so."

Lets see, get rid of the Magna Carta. Check. Get the MIC in the streets. Check. Corporate control of all 3 branches of the government. Check. Corporate control of the press. Check. Disenfranchise as many voters as possible. Check. Eliminate worker's Unions? Still in process, but almost complete. 3/4 Check. Ignore infrastructure until bridges fall into rivers. Check.

Yip, disaster capitalism is rolling right along, ahead of schedule. Warning: this is not sarcasm.

[woodsprite]

11. Sounds like their getting ready for a military coup attempt

Especially with that part that would allow them to more easily
circumvent the President, their Commander in Chief.

[Historic NY]

12. This is nothing new just codefiies how involved they can be in assistance...

The Secretary of Defense may, in accordance with other
applicable law, make Department of Defense personnel available to
any Federal, State, or local civilian law enforcement agency to
operate equipment for purposes other than described in subsection
(b)(2) only to the extent that such support does not involve direct
participation by such personnel in a civilian law enforcement
operation unless such direct participation is otherwise authorized
by law.

In other words they have to be invited to assist.........they just can't do it themselves.

For decades the military has assisted in bomb dectection and recovery, movement of military equipment from bases to base of public highways (convoys) or rail, and asisted local police in the policing of military personnel in civilian communities. An active agreement between local & military authorities must spell out the concurrent arrangements....I lived in an active military subpost community and both civilian police and military would respond to calls there...in most cases major incidents (excluding traffic) involving civilians were turned over to local authorities. The arrangement was spelled out and signed by the Provost Marshal (Government) & Police Chief (Town) & renewed annually.